1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure generally relates to bridged polycyclic based compounds for the inhibition and amelioration of disease. More particularly, the disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for formulating antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, antidisease, cleaning compositions using these bridged polycyclic based compounds for treating and/or applying to oral cavities of animals.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Dendrimers are branched polymers with densely packed end-functional groups that can be used to attach the dendrimers to bioactive molecules such as drugs, targeting ligands and imaging agents. Since a significant portion of a dose of pharmaceutical drugs is lost in the circulation due to impaired uptake by the cells especially in the case of drug resistant cells. The actual concentration of a drug inside the cells is much less than what is present extracellularly. Hence, to accomplish highly effective treatment of diseases it is important to increase the intracellular amount of the drug. Dendrimers have already been used as a carrier agent for several known antiviral agents. Attaching these known agents to a dendrimer has been shown to increase the activity of the agent verses using the agent alone and uncoupled to a dendrimer. However, there are problems associated with using dendrimers, especially when scaling up production to commercial quantities.
Two main methods exist for the synthesis of dendrimers: a divergent approach, where the dendrimer is assembled in a totally linear manner or a convergent method where fragments of the dendrimer are condensed together. These two methods both suffer from major problems when it comes to practical synthesis, in particular, the necessity for repeated and time-consuming purifications.
Additional problems associated with the synthesis of dendrimers are: defects in the molecular structure; and the molecular structure of dendrimers is so crowded that many times other molecules become trapped within the spaces within the molecular structure of the dendrimer
Therefore there is a need for a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound which increases the intracellular amount of pharmaceutical drugs but which is easier and cheaper to synthesize than dendrimers and which are capable of attaching different functionalities more easily.
In the field of dentistry, the increased average age of patients and improvements in the treatment of teeth have resulted in an increased average age of teeth which need to be treated.
Dental applications are challenging and require top performance from dental care providers and materials technology. Materials used in these applications need to be comfortable, hard, wear resistant, strong and yet also visibly appealing. Poorly formulated dental materials can result in discomfort, complications, and increased health care cost to consumers.
All types of teeth and gum diseases can lead to serious health problems in pets. Dogs and cats make use of their teeth more than humans do. Therefore, toothache, dental disease and loss of teeth can all have serious consequences for pets. Damage to the teeth and gums in pets to date is permanent and irreversible.
Maintenance of good oral health and prevention of oral disease is a necessity for both humans and animals. Unlike animals humans have the ability to exercise control over oral and dental hygiene by using proper preventative techniques.
According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, eighty percent of dogs and seventy percent of cats have periodontal (gum) disease by the age of three. Proper dental care could increase the life of these animals by two to five years.
Dental care in dogs and cats has become common. Like humans, dog's teeth and gums are also susceptible to many of the same oral health problems—gingivitis and periodontal disease. Unlike humans, animals rarely get cavities. This is because cavities are primarily caused by the high sugar content of the human diet. Periodontal disease affects both human and mammals alike. Periodontal disease is caused by bacteria and plaque that attach to the soft gum tissue of the mouth. The first stage of periodontal disease is gingivitis and is very common. In this stage, the bacteria have mixed with saliva and formed plaque. The plaque adheres to the teeth and hardens, forming tartar and calculus. These tartar deposits irritate the gum tissue and cause inflammation, swelling and infection. It is at this stage that gingivitis is most notable.
There are indications that oral health status has a profound effect on an animal's general health. Periodontal disease may cause bacteria and toxins to enter the bloodstream with potentially deleterious effects on internal organs. Conversely, poor systemic health may manifest in the oral cavity in various ways and may also exacerbate periodontal disease. An animal's dental examination is therefore not always limited to the oral cavity but frequently includes a general physical examination. Laboratory examinations, to evaluate systemic disease concerns, are also commonly performed. Some dogs and cats suffer from chronic oral infection (e.g., stomatitis, a poorly understood condition that is difficult to treat) and oral cancer.
For example, pathologic conditions are common in animals such as, for example, cats. Conditions may include such things as tooth lesions. Common tooth lesions found in cats include feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions and dental fractures. Other common oral conditions include periodontal disease (gingivitis, periodontitis), and feline gingivitis/stomatitis syndrome (lymphocytic-plasmacytic gingivitis stomatitis (LPGS), a severe inflammatory condition). The lesions of feline gingivitis/stomatitis syndrome may include inflammation of periodontal structures, oral mucosa, lips and/or tongue.
Periodontal disease may be caused by plaque bacteria on the teeth. The combined effects of bacterial toxins and the products of the host's inflammatory response to the bacteria may cause the periodontal tissues to become inflamed. Periodontal tissues may be damaged and/or destroyed if intervention does not occur. An unusually aggressive response by a subject's immune system may explain why some individual patients or certain breeds of cats exhibit rapidly progressing more severe disease.
Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (otherwise commonly referred to as neck lesions, cervical line erosions, and/or cat cavities) are the most common dental problem in cats. Studies worldwide have shown incidence rates in cats of dental problems of up to 75%. Feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORLs) are painful. Clinical signs associated with feline odontoclastic resorptive lesions (FORLs) may include anorexia, drooling, refusal to eat, and/or malaise.
Another condition associated with the oral health of for example cats is feline gingivitis/stomatitis syndrome (FGS). Cats with FGS may have clinical signs of partial to complete anorexia, drooling, halitosis, and/or oral pain. Physical exams of felines may show signs of gingivitis (inflammation of the gingiva), stomatitis (inflammation extending to the oral mucosa), palatitis, faucitis (inflammation of the caudal fauca), glossal ulceration, pharyngitis, and/or submandibular lymphadenopathy (swollen glands).
Additional oral maladies may include and/or are a result of, for example, feline calicivirus (FCV). FCV is a virus of the family Caliciviridae that is believed to cause disease in cats. FCV can be isolated from about 50 percent of cats with upper respiratory infection.
Animals infected with FCV may develop symptoms acutely, chronically, or not at all. Latent infections may become symptomatic when the animal is stressed. Acute symptoms of FCV include fever, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, sneezing, and/or ulceration of the mouth (stomatitis). Stomatitis may develop without any upper respiratory infection symptoms, but fever and loss of appetite may occur. The great variability of symptoms in individual cases of FCV may be related to the existence of different strains of the virus.
With many of the oral maladies (especially those mentioned above typically associated with felines) there is little recourse available to the pet owner. If an oral malady is diagnosed early enough aggressive and regular oral cleaning may eventually clear up the malady but not necessarily. A veterinarian and/or pet owner may have to clean the pet's oral cavity several times a week for months. Many times, especially if the malady is not diagnosed early enough, the only recourse available is oral surgery including, for example, extracting any effected teeth. Even full tooth extraction does not always clear up Chronic ulcerative paradental stomatitis (CUPS) which is a painful condition seen in dogs and cats. What is needed therefore is an easy to use, effective system for maintaining good oral health as well as preventing and treating oral disease. What are needed are effective methods and compositions for maintaining good oral hygiene, as well as for preventing and treating oral disease in animals. Preferably such methods and compositions should be easy-to-use and comprise antimicrobial and anti-plaque agents. Such methods and compositions should provide long-term effectiveness against oral problems including tartar build-up on teeth, gingivitis, and halitosis. Such methods and compositions should result in improved appearance of the oral cavity such as whiter teeth and healthy gums. Such methods and compositions should be affordable, safe and easy to use on a regular basis.